--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's all we writers have, anyway; our…" description: "\"“That's all we writers have, anyway; our minds and imaginations. To allow censors even the tiniest space in there with us can only lead to dullness, im..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/norma-fox-mazer-45575_censors_that-s-all-we-writers-have-anyway-our-mi_3214352.jpg" --- # That's all we writers have, anyway; our minds and… ![“That's all we writers have, anyway; our minds and imaginations. To allow censors even the tiniest space in there with us can only lead to dullness, imitation, and mediocrity.” quote by Norma Fox Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/norma-fox-mazer-45575_censors_that-s-all-we-writers-have-anyway-our-mi_3214352.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/norma-fox-mazer-45575_censors_that-s-all-we-writers-have-anyway-our-mi_3214352.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/norma-fox-mazer-45575_censors_that-s-all-we-writers-have-anyway-our-mi_3214352.jpg) > ““That's all we writers have, anyway; our minds and imaginations. To allow censors even the tiniest space in there with us can only lead to dullness, imitation, and mediocrity.”” [Norma Fox Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-fox-mazer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Censorship restricts creative freedom, leading to bland and derivative work. **In simple terms:** Censorship makes art dull. Key Takeaway Protect imagination from over‑regulation. Themes creativity freedom art censorship expression Mood concerned defensive reflective Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - publishing decisions - educational curricula - media policy debates - artist advocacy Key Concepts intellectual liberty originality cultural vitality Questions to Reflect On - How does censorship shape the tone of a work? - Can constraints ever enhance creativity? A Different Perspective Even limited censorship can spark innovative subversion, so outright bans may not be the only risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Censors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censors/) [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I never heard of anyone who was really literate or who ever really loved books who wanted to suppress any of them. Censors only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/i-never-heard-of-anyone-who-was-really-literate-or-who-ever-really/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Imagine censors that wouldn't let you sit in a man's lap. I've been in more laps than a napkin!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/imagine-censors-that-wouldn-t-let-you-sit-in-a-man-s-lap-i-ve-been-in/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Advertisers, not governments, are the primary censors of media content in the United States today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-edwin-baker/advertisers-not-governments-are-the-primary-censors-of-media-content/) C. Edwin Baker > [“Too many adults wish to 'protect' teenagers when they should be stimulating them to read of life as it is lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-a-edwards/too-many-adults-wish-to-protect-teenagers-when-they-should-be/) Margaret A. Edwards > [Shut the door, they're coming through the window, shut the window, they're coming through the door," are the words to an old song. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/shut-the-door-they-re-coming-through-the-window-shut-the-window-they/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Censors are dead men set up to judge between life and death. For no live, sunny man would be a censor, he'd just laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/censors-are-dead-men-set-up-to-judge-between-life-and-death-for-no/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [I have a very serious censorship office inside my head; it censors things that I could tell you that you would never forget, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/i-have-a-very-serious-censorship-office-inside-my-head-it-censors/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [there are lots of would-be censors out there, and although they may have different agendas, they all want basically the same thing: for you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/there-are-lots-of-would-be-censors-out-there-and-although-they-may/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Censorship is not an occupation that attracts intelligent, subtle minds. Censors can and often have been outwitted. But the game of slipping Aesopian messages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee-2/censorship-is-not-an-occupation-that-attracts-intelligent-subtle/) [J. M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee-2/) > [“The censors of our age do not yet burn books, they attempt to restrict speech in the name of "offense". The tactics may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmine-savastano/the-censors-of-our-age-do-not-yet-burn-books-they-attempt-to-restrict/) [Carmine Savastano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmine-savastano/) > [In conclusion, you can see that there is a place for censors and we only wish that we could tell you where it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-paulsen/in-conclusion-you-can-see-that-there-is-a-place-for-censors-and-we/) [Pat Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-paulsen/) > [ \[Censors are\] people with secret attractions to various temptations... They are defending themselves under the pretext of defending others, because at heart they fear… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-jones/censors-are-people-with-secret-attractions-to-various-temptations/) [Ernest Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-jones/) > [“Mainstream features can turn into ventures when you fender their venders and set off their censors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-w-allison/mainstream-features-can-turn-into-ventures-when-you-fender-their/) [Calvin W. Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-w-allison/) > [“Censors don’t want children exposed to ideas different from their own. If every individual with an agenda had his/her way, the shelves in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/censors-don-t-want-children-exposed-to-ideas-different-from-their-own/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [I enjoy upsetting the right people. I love poking fun at earnest censors. I want to push the bounds of what can be said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/i-enjoy-upsetting-the-right-people-i-love-poking-fun-at-earnest/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) ## More by Norma Fox Mazer > [“Once, in grade school, our class was taken on an overnight excursion to a campground. The air was warm: we had a campfire and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-fox-mazer/once-in-grade-school-our-class-was-taken-on-an-overnight-excursion-to/) [Norma Fox Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-fox-mazer/) > [“The dark girl's gaze lights on me again, and something passes over her face, something I've seen before. Her face is speaking: you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-fox-mazer/the-dark-girl-s-gaze-lights-on-me-again-and-something-passes-over-her/) [Norma Fox Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-fox-mazer/) > [That adolescent me, the girl who was, as I remember her, insecure, unsure, dreaming, yearning, longing, that girl who was hard on herself, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-fox-mazer/that-adolescent-me-the-girl-who-was-as-i-remember-her-insecure-unsure/) [Norma Fox Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-fox-mazer/) > [Friendship...is like pain. Explaining it is impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-fox-mazer/friendship-is-like-pain-explaining-it-is-impossible/) [Norma Fox Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-fox-mazer/) > [“He told you not to cry, but tears keep leaking out of your eyes. And you're glad, because those tears belong to you. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-fox-mazer/he-told-you-not-to-cry-but-tears-keep-leaking-out-of-your-eyes-and/) [Norma Fox Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-fox-mazer/) > [All the inane, meaningless noises people make that pass for intelligent conversation. They might as well be pigs grunting in the pen. (92)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-fox-mazer/all-the-inane-meaningless-noises-people-make-that-pass-for/) [Norma Fox Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-fox-mazer/) > [I guess, really thinking about it, I always assumed when you missed someone , it was tangible...something real you could grab and hold on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-fox-mazer/i-guess-really-thinking-about-it-i-always-assumed-when-you-missed/) [Norma Fox Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-fox-mazer/) > [A piece of writing takes exactly as long as it needs to be done right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-fox-mazer/a-piece-of-writing-takes-exactly-as-long-as-it-needs-to-be-done-right/) [Norma Fox Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-fox-mazer/) [Explore all 9 Norma Fox Mazer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-fox-mazer/) ## More Censors quotes > [I enjoy upsetting the right people. I love poking fun at earnest censors. I want to push the bounds of what can be said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/i-enjoy-upsetting-the-right-people-i-love-poking-fun-at-earnest/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [“Censors don’t want children exposed to ideas different from their own. If every individual with an agenda had his/her way, the shelves in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/censors-don-t-want-children-exposed-to-ideas-different-from-their-own/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [“Mainstream features can turn into ventures when you fender their venders and set off their censors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-w-allison/mainstream-features-can-turn-into-ventures-when-you-fender-their/) [Calvin W. Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-w-allison/) > [ \[Censors are\] people with secret attractions to various temptations... They are defending themselves under the pretext of defending others, because at heart they fear… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-jones/censors-are-people-with-secret-attractions-to-various-temptations/) [Ernest Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-jones/) > [In conclusion, you can see that there is a place for censors and we only wish that we could tell you where it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-paulsen/in-conclusion-you-can-see-that-there-is-a-place-for-censors-and-we/) [Pat Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-paulsen/) > [I turned to historical films because they pass censors more easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiang-wen/i-turned-to-historical-films-because-they-pass-censors-more-easily/) [Jiang Wen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiang-wen/) > [I'm gonna sing those songs that offend the censors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nickelback/i-m-gonna-sing-those-songs-that-offend-the-censors/) Nickelback > [“The censors of our age do not yet burn books, they attempt to restrict speech in the name of "offense". The tactics may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmine-savastano/the-censors-of-our-age-do-not-yet-burn-books-they-attempt-to-restrict/) [Carmine Savastano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmine-savastano/) > [Censorship is not an occupation that attracts intelligent, subtle minds. Censors can and often have been outwitted. But the game of slipping Aesopian messages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee-2/censorship-is-not-an-occupation-that-attracts-intelligent-subtle/) [J. M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee-2/) > [The worst censors are those prohibiting criticism of the theory of evolution in the classroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/the-worst-censors-are-those-prohibiting-criticism-of-the-theory-of/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [Freedom of the press is essential to the preservation of a democracy; but there is a difference between freedom and license. Editorialists who tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/freedom-of-the-press-is-essential-to-the-preservation-of-a-democracy/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [there are lots of would-be censors out there, and although they may have different agendas, they all want basically the same thing: for you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/there-are-lots-of-would-be-censors-out-there-and-although-they-may/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I have a very serious censorship office inside my head; it censors things that I could tell you that you would never forget, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/i-have-a-very-serious-censorship-office-inside-my-head-it-censors/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [The people are the only censors of their governors, and even their errors will tend to keep these to the true principles of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-people-are-the-only-censors-of-their-governors-and-even-their/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Censors are dead men set up to judge between life and death. For no live, sunny man would be a censor, he'd just laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/censors-are-dead-men-set-up-to-judge-between-life-and-death-for-no/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) [Browse all 77 Censors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That's all we writers have, anyway; our minds and imaginations. 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